What are some current challenges Asian and Arab Americans face? Please provide statistics to support your discussion. Next, research and identify at least two organizations for Arab and Asian Americans that fight for equality, confront the challenges your groups face, and/or provide support to individuals within your chosen groups. Identify the group, their mission statement, campaigns or programs they are involved in, and their current work.

Both Asian American and Indian Americans face discrimination in America, even if its not targeted (i.e. inadvertent) discrimination. Once unemployed, Asian Americans are about 25% more likely to remain unemployed, though the overall unemployment is lower than non-Asian American minority groups.

Arab Americans face somewhat different problems. Like Asian Americans, they face discrimination, but this has been exacerbated since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Despite the fact that 82% of Arabs are U.S. citizens, many face discrimination owing to the strict religiosity of many Arabs who are Muslim, which promotes a conspicuously different set of behavioral standards and dress codes.

Organizations to help these groups include the Asian American Civic Association (headquartered in Boston), whose mission is to “provide education, occupational training, and social services to all immigrants and disadvantaged individuals enabling them to attain lasting economic self-sufficiency.” The analogous National Network of Arab Communities has as its mission, “the development of Arab American community-based nonprofit organizations that understand, meet the needs, and represent the concerns of Arab Americans at a local level, while also addressing those issues at a national level.”